Blogger Meetup, WF Finds, Raw-ifying Brownie Cupcakes

How are you doing today? I’ve had a fun day because I met Maureen of MommyRD and her baby girl, Ava, at WF’s for coffee.

Maureen and I had originally talked about a park playdate but on account of all the rain and horrible dreary and cold weatther we’ve had, we figured we’d rather be cozy and dry and sipping our java indoors.

Plus Skylar could bounce on the comfy chairs if we were indoors. Always a bonus.

I met up with Maureen (Mo) once before in This Post, and it was fun to see her again. Mo and I had chatted last week and she told me she was sick of spending money on the Chocolate PureBars and did I have a way to recreate them? Indeed, I do….

I told her to usethis recipe of mine for Dark Chocolate Fudge Ballsand just shape them into bars, not balls.And it’s been working great for her. Way to go, Mo!For saving all that cash and doing it yourself! Love it!

Skylar and I had a great time…I mean look at the cheeseball grin that Skylar’s flashing!

Madeline, You’re Up Next, hon! Are you ready for this ball of energy!?

Moving along…My Bar Guruhighly recommendedthis bar: Jokerz. It’s been compared to A Vegan Snickers. I cannot wait to break into these given the high praise Evan gave them and I since I used to love Snickers, caramel, anything really dense and candy-bar like, this just seems too good to be true! I’ll keep you posted.

So I happily snapped up two of these bad boys, at 2.29 each. Not a bargain but I’ve seen worse…

…Like In the Raw Granola Section in WF it was loan sharking type prices.

The ironic thing is before I was as into raw vegan foods and just not quite as savvy as I am now about ingredients and such….well, rewind the clock to my early 20s, I had tons of disposable cash and would blow it on random stuff at WF’s. Now, I can totally appreciate the care that it does take to make these great specialty products, and the quality of ingredients that are used, but I can’t afford them. Well, I could theoretically buy whatever I want, but these huge pangs of guilt set in that I could be blowing this cutie’s college savings plan on raw granola bars, and I happily put them back on the shelf.

I’m glad you enjoyed yesterday’s recipe for a new salad dressing:Cheezy Hemp Dressing. I know, it was time for something new! And glad you were happy for me about the Artisana. Me too!

So There You Have it, an recipe for Raw Vegan Brownie Batter Cupcakes Stuffed With Vegan PB Cups and Frosting with Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate and Vegan White Chocolate Drizzles!And this cupcake picture is not vegan and not raw. And it worked very nicely for the fam!

Admittedly, it sounds like a lot of work to raw-ify this recipe!

Many of you write to me asking me to raw-ify or “health-ify” a particular dessert for you. And I can usually whip something off the top of my head based on previous recipes I’ve made in order to help you, and please don’t you all start writing me because this is not something I have the time or desire to do! But my point is that where there’s a will, there’s a way. It just may not be 20 minutes like the non-vegan baked version…instead, it may be hours to create a raw version. Which at that point, one must ask hey, is this important to me? And if it is, great and proceed down the raw path. And if it’s not, as I said in yesterday’s post about Guilty Pleasures & Indulgences……Sometimes it’s just worth it to indulge in whatever way you want to and not get caught up in trying too hard! After all this is a dessert, not kale; it’s not necessarily supposed to be “healthy”! haha!

Questions1. Where do you cut corners or skimp? What Won’t You Skimp On?As I mentioned in the post, I “could” buy $4 protein bars and $6 bottles of salad dressing or $8 bags of gourmet raw crackers, but I don’t because I can make it at home cheaper, or more to the point, since many pricey items are not essential to my diet, I simply don’t buy them and nothing “bad” is going to “happen”. Fresh Produce is another story for me and I don’t skimp on fresh produce. I try to shop as seasonally and economically as I can, but being a plant-based household, I can’t skimp on our fresh produce. It’s our mainstay, that’s where we get our energy, nutrients, and all the good stuff that keeps us happy and healthy!Where do you skimp vs. not?

2. What Dessert Would You Love Veganized, No-Baked, Raw-ified, or generally healthified in some way? And I absolutely do not promise one iota that I will attempt it; I am simply curious…don’t get all excited on me! But if enough people comment with the same thing, I may take it under advisement.

3. Do You Love Massages?I do and I really need one but I am trying to be frugal and not pay for one. I love Scott and he does an awesome job, but I still get knots in my back that require Professional Grade Strength! Before Skylar, I used to get about two massages per month but life is different now. What other alternative practices do you enjoy? Rolfing, acupuncture, chiropractic, energy & chakra balancing, reiki, cupping, oil pulling, you name it, I’ve done it and loved them all. What’s your Fave Type of Bodywork or What would you like to Try?

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Hi, I'm Averie and I'm so glad you've found my site! You'll find fast and easy recipes from dinners to desserts that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!